Without a doubt, education is the single best investment that you can make for your child. We understand that for many families, offering your child the opportunity to experience a GMS education involves planning, prioritizing and, sometimes, making tough financial choices. We work diligently to keep our tuition competitive with other independent schools in the area and we have designed our Financial Aid Program to assist families who are experiencing financial hardship and could not otherwise afford our tuition. Our approach to financial aid is also rooted in our strong desire and commitment to building the sense of community and the culture of partnership at GMS.

Tuition assistance is granted on a yearly basis to families with children enrolled in the Kindergarten through Middle School programs.

If you are unsure whether your family would qualify for Financial Aid, but you know that paying tuition is an uncomfortable stretch, please consider applying. There is no stigma associated with asking for help. Just note, we do expect families to prioritize educational costs after necessary living expenses, which is precisely why we use an independent and impartial third party agency to determine a recommendation for an expected family contribution. At the same time, families are also encouraged to submit a Family Letter describing individual circumstances impacting your situation and resources. There is a place to do this in the on-line application. When there are dramatic changes in a family’s financial situation due to a significant set-back, GMS will do what it can to make it possible for the child to remain at GMS.

Families interested in being considered for financial aid should contact the GMS Office in January to start the application process. Parents submit the application on-line and it is processed through a service called Financial Aid for School Tuition or "F.A.S.T." This service is sponsored by Independent School Management (www.isminc.com). There is a $41 application filing fee payable directly to F.A.S.T.

F.A.S.T. will use the information provided in the on-line application to make a recommendation to the school for how much a family can afford to contribute for education. Factors considered in the process include family income and expenses, assets and indebtedness, family size, age of parents, number of children attending tuition charging schools and financial support received from extended family or other sources.

GMS will consider the recommendation from F.A.S.T. and make final determinations based on the resources available in the school’s general operating budget. Financial assistance must be applied for separately each year. Returning families do receive first consideration as the school determines how to allocate assistance.

Consult the GMS Office to learn about processing deadlines. Final decisions about Financial Aid grants will be made by the Head of School and Financial Aid Committee.

Welcome to the Greensboro Montessori School

We look forward to working with you as your complete your child’s application for admission.

The Greensboro Montessori School seeks to enroll children from the toddler years through the eighth grade. We welcome and embrace diversity by providing a safe and supportive environment that is open and inclusive. Our community includes and is enhanced by people from many different cultures, races, nationalities, faiths, learning and physical abilities, sexual orientations/identities, ages, socioeconomic backgrounds, and family constellations.

Parents interested in enrollment information should contact the office to schedule a tour. Tours include an information session, full campus tour and classroom observation. After applications are submitted parents can schedule a parent interview and a student interview for children age 3 and older. Elementary age children should submit transcripts, teacher recommendations, and may be asked to complete an academic assessment as part of their student visit.

Students currently enrolled at GMS, siblings of currently enrolled students, children of GMS alumni, and Montessori transfer students are given preference in enrollment. Admissions decisions will be based upon the teacher interviews, class compositions, behavior complimentary to the Montessori Philosophy, past and present recommendations from other school/nursery situations and parental support and understanding of our Montessori program. If there are more applicants than we can accommodate, those applications will remain active for up to one year. In the event that unexpected openings arise, we will draw from our pool of active applications.

Applications submitted before March 11

Parent interviews and student visits in March

Decisions made and enrollment documents issued by mid-April

Applications submitted after March 11 will be considered as rolling admissions based on availability

Please make an appointment to visit our campus and see our classrooms in action. We offer tours on Wednesday mornings or by appointment. We look forward to meeting your family soon.

Applying to the Greensboro Montessori School is a simple but thorough process. Below are all the downloadable forms with brief explanations you’ll need for applying to GMS. Please contact the Office of Admissions by email or phone 336-668-0119 if you have any questions.